When a doctor prescribes a medication or recommends a medical device, we naturally assume it is safe. Unless we are told otherwise, we don’t expect our doctor’s recommendation to make us sick or to cause us injury. But sometimes companies don’t tell us—or our doctors—about known risks.

If a medication or medical device has injured you, you have the right to demand accountability for your injury through a civil lawsuit. Hundreds—maybe even thousands—of others may have suffered similar or identical injuries from the same drug or medical device if a pharmaceutical company failed to conduct enough testing prior to putting a drug or device on the market, concealed the adverse effects of the medication device, or falsely advertised or marketed the drug or device.

Medical products and implants can also result in dangerous complications. Some of the defective medical device cases we handle include:

DuPuy Synthesis Attune Knee Replacement Implant: Premature failure of this knee replacement implant may be linked to the metal-on-metal nature of the device, and is causing undue reconstructive surgeries, and unnecessary pain and suffering.

Atrium C-QUR Hernia Mesh: Atrium's C-QUR mesh has been used to repair hernias in various parts of the body. However, studies have shown the hernia mesh to cause side effects including pain, bowel adhesions, and chronic infections. More often than not, these conditions require surgery to repair or reduce the condition.

Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters: C.R. Bard Inc. has stopped manufacturing and selling several models of IVC filters, which are designed to strain clots from lower blood vessels before those clots can invade the lungs or brain. These devices have been associated with damage to blood vessels and internal organs, leading to serious and sometimes fatal complications.

Stryker LFIT Anatomic CoCr V40 Femoral Heads: The FDA has recalled over 40,000 of these metal hip replacement components due to problems with corrosion. When severe, the corrosion of the metal components can result in total failure of the device, causing serious injuries and metal poisoning in patients.

Zimmer Biomet Comprehensive® Reverse Shoulder System: Due to the serious risk of fracture, the FDA issued a class 1 recall for the Zimmer Biomet shoulder replacement device. These fractures have led to painful and life-changing injuries, such as permanent loss of shoulder function and infection. In some cases, a fracture could even result in death.

Zimmer knee implants: The Zimmer High Flex Knee Implant and Persona Knee System were supposed to improve the quality of life for knee replacement recipients, but they have been linked to significant pain, lack of mobility, and a dangerous loosening of the implanted device.

Essure: Essure is a non-surgical form of permanent birth control for women that has been linked to serious side effects, including severe bleeding and dangerous pregnancies.

Transvaginal mesh: Transvaginal mesh (TVM) may be implanted if a woman experiences a drop, or prolapse, of organs and needs support. However, TVM has been linked to serious complications including mesh erosion, infection, significant pain, bleeding, organ perforation, and other problems.

Mirena IUD: A Mirena IUD is an implanted form of birth control that may be convenient, but that may also have dangerous side effects that could endanger a woman’s fertility or her life. One serious side effect is pseudotumor cerebri—a neurological condition that can result in permanent brain damage, blindness, and other problems.

Bair Hugger: This type of surgical blanket helps a patient maintain body temperature, but has also been linked to dangerous infections.

As with dangerous drugs, this list may expand at any time as new problems are reported.

Lawsuits for Prescription Drugs with Dangerous Side Effects

Some examples of dangerous drugs that have resulted in patient injuries or deaths include:

Actemra: Actemra is a Rheumatoid Arthritis drug that has been linked to heart attacks, strokes, lung disease, gastrointestinal perforations, and death.

Invokana and Invokamet: Invokana and Invokamet are Type 2 diabetes medications known as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. They are designed to control blood glucose levels, but may also result in strokes, heart attacks, and diabetic shock from a change in blood chemistry (ketoacidosis).

Xarelto: Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) is a new-generation blood thinner that is used for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and to help prevent blood clots. However, it does not have an approved antidote or reversal agent, and patients can suffer life-threatening bleeding.

Taxotere: This form of chemotherapy has been linked to permanent baldness or alopecia. Patients may not have known about this risk and may have made different treatment decisions if they knew about this potential side effect.

Risperdal and Invega: These two prescription drugs are used to treat schizophrenia and other mental health conditions. Children and adults, however, have suffered side effects they could not have anticipated, such as pituitary gland tumors and enlarged breasts in boys (gynecomastia).

Farxiga: This diabetes drug was initially rejected by the FDA. Now that millions of people are using Farxiga, medical evidence has begun piling up suggesting links to ketoacidosis, serious urinary tract infections, bladder cancer, and other dangerous conditions.

Pradaxa: Pradaxa is an anticoagulant drug that is used to treat people with atrial fibrillation and to prevent dangerous conditions such as strokes, blood clots, and pulmonary embolisms. However, from the time that the drug was FDA-approved in October 2010 until the time that an antidote was FDA approved in October 2015, there was no known antidote for uncontrolled bleeding and many people suffered injuries and fatalities because of serious internal bleeding.

Low testosterone (Low-T) treatments: Low -T or male testosterone replacement drugs are used to help men with fatigue, loss of sex drive and other consequences of decreased testosterone. However, prior to 2014 many men did not know—and could not have known—about the increased risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots, and death associated with this type of medication.

Onglyza: Onglyza is used to treat people with Type 2 diabetes, but it has been linked to dangerous side effects such as an increased risk of heart attack and heart failure.

Eliquis: Eliquis is an anticoagulant drug that is used to prevent blood clots. However, there is no known antidote to this medication. Using this medicine may result in the blood thinning too much, resulting in a dangerous hemorrhage that can not be stopped.

This list may expand at any time, as new dangerous medications are reported.

There Is Power in Numbers

If you’ve been hurt—or if you’ve lost a loved one—due to a dangerous drug or medical device, then you may consider a mass tort action. A mass tort action allows multiple injury victims to pool their resources and jointly sue the company that caused the injury. This saves both time and money.

A mass tort is not a class action. In a class action lawsuit, victims also file a joint lawsuit, but there is just one trial and all the victims share the settlement. In a mass tort, each injury victim receives his or her own separate trial and each victim is awarded an individual settlement.

There is power in numbers. A large company may downplay the claim of an individual. They may pay teams of lawyers to find the holes in the case. When hundreds of injury victims join together in a mass tort, they cannot be ignored. Big companies feel the pressure to settle.

You Are More Than a Number

No matter how many people suffered the same type of injury, your circumstances are unique. The attorneys at Gray and White Law care about your story, and we want to help you. Our Louisville attorneys will use our extensive experience to advocate on your behalf, so you get the full compensation you deserve.

Are you ready to learn if a Kentucky lawyer can help you after a drug or medical device injury? Contact Gray and White Law at 888-450-4456 today to schedule a free consultation.